Answers to Your Questions Vol. 3

Howdy folks.... I got a feeling that info is going to be coming hot and heavy starting tomorrow, so I wanted to get the backlog of questions that had been asked out of the way.

Free agency starts tomorrow at 9pm. That is important for two reasons. First if you haven't entered in the Seahawkaddicts DRAFT GEAR CONTEST, that is the deadline. The info for entry is in the left hand side bar. Second, I am have have been working my butt off all week, so that Thursday night and all day Friday can be devoted to breaking Free Agency info as it happens. So check back often to find out who has signed where, and, as always, I will put a Hawks spin on it.

In the meantime, to see answers to your questions.......

Brian--asked my take on the RB's at the combine and will one of the big 3 will make it to the Hawks?

I thought the RB's at the combine preformed very well as a group. The only guy who really hurt himself was Mike Hart, boy was he slow. That said, I bet he is a great pro. The reason RB's often come from later in the draft is that its has less to do with speed and more to do with desire(insert Shaun Alexander comment here). That said, I would say it is about 50-50 that one of the big three makes it to the Hawks. The CB's did very well too, which might convince teams like AZ or Hou to take a 1st round CB instead. The good news, it appears now that local boy Jonathan Stewart is the 3rd back chosen. Boy would he look good in blue and teal.

Griffin- Asked me to review the tight ends at the combine and was J. Stewart supposed to be faster than 4.4?

I will start with Stewart, since I just covered that. 4.4 is fine. Especially for a guy 5'10'' 235. Anything under 4.5 is fine. It is 4.7 or 4.8 when teams get worried. As for the TE's, the top guys preformed poorly and the bottom guys performed well. I still think Davis will be a fine pro, but maybe now he slips. This can only be good for the Hawks. Also, Dustin Keller may have taken the spot atop most boards. He looked like the next Dallas Clark, and I don't want to hear about how he can't block. He played in the Big Ten. Trust me, they block up there!

Cris.Sullivan-- Asked who will fill DJ Hackett's shoes, and what is Berrian's value?

I think the answer to who fills DJ Hackett's shoes is who performs best in camp. I understand that the 4 guys currently on the roster don't have much experience, but neither did a guy like Matt Hasslebeck when Holmgren traded for him. What I am saying, is that I trust the coaches evaluation, and they like all 4 of these guys (the guys in the current poll). One on them will stand out and the others will get a chance to gain experience at times. Whether it is a downgrade, possibly, but DJ Hackett came out of nowhere when DJ went down in 05 and he was great. I will take a wait and see approach. As for Berrian, he is probably the best WR on the market not named Moss. That said, he is still probably a #2 who will get paid like a #1.

Anonymous -- asked for a breakdown of Nate Clements deal.

It is a 8 yr 80 million $ deal. However the final year has already voided, so technically it is 7yrs 64mil. The 9ers had so much space last year they paid his bonus as a roster bonus, so it all counted last year. This allowed them to give him bigger base salaries. Here is the breakdown from rotoworld...

3/2/2007: Signed an eight-year, $80 million contract. The deal contains $22.6 million in guarantees, including an initial roster bonus of $11 million. With a void year in 2014, it is essentially for seven seasons and $64.02 million. 2008: $3,383,334 (+ $10 million roster bonus), 2009: $3,516,666, 2010: $6 million, 2011: $7.25 million, 2012: $9 million, 2013: $10.77 million, 2014: $15.48 million, 2015: Free Agent. Cap charges: $5.55 million (2008), $5.68 million (2009), $8.17 million (2010).

As you can see it is backloaded pretty heavily. It really is a fascinating deal.

SteveR-- Do I think it is possible that DJ Hackett has a wink wink deal with Jim Zorn?

It is a possibility. I think that there would be an advantage in Hackett going to the Skins that no one else can provide. He can help players believe that Zorn is a good coach. Plus, at least Zorn will have somebody who isn't learning the system brand new. That said, if somebody decides to pay Hack based on potential and not production, the Skins who have cap issues, might not be able to match.

Andrew-- Asked for a breakdown of Randle El's Contract...

3/12/2006: Signed a seven-year, $31 million contract. The deal includes $10 million in guaranteees. 2008: $605,000 (+ $1.5 million roster bonus), 2009: $4 million, 2010: $4.25 million, 2011: $4.5 million, 2012: $5 million, 2013: $6 million (Voidable Year), 2014: Free Agent. Cap charge: $2.7 million (2008).

Anonymous -- asked what Jamie Silva's 40 time was?

4.56... pretty good... especially since he is known for his competitiveness and not his measurables.

JColeman-- Asked about Jordy Nelson?

What I saw of him during Senior Bowl week, I really liked. He is big, faster than he appears, and has great hands. I think he will make somebody look real smart for taking him on the second day. I doubt it will be the Hawks. They have 4 wr's who need to see time, and other holes to fill.

HawkDude--Asked if there is anybody the Hawks could look at if Trufant won't sign a long term deal?

The one guy I thought of as a possibility is Brian Kelly. Ruskell drafted him in Tampa. However, I think they would either draft a CB or look at the market next year. Trufant basically has to play this year, and I don't think the threat of a holdout would scare the Hawks. Do you remember Walter Jones, he missed camp 3 years in a row.

Derek--wanted some Alge Crumpler info?

He supposedly is visiting Tampa right now, and visiting Ten. next week. I have not heard of a visit to Seattle. However ,there is an interview from Mon between Softy and Clayton (on KJRAM.Com) in which Clayton says Seattle is in the mix. Apparently Carlester Crumpler, who played for the Hawks, still lives in the area. This could be huge in convincing Alge to move so far away from home. He has said he prefers the south. If he is all about winning, as he says, he will certainly let the Hawks make a pitch.

IdahoHawksFan-- asked about how the Skins could be interested in Hackett if the are in cap hell?

They have spent the last two weeks renegotiating deals. The redid about 10-12 contracts. Currently I think they are under the cap about 4 or 5 million. They also cut some guys and can still get rid of guys like Brunell who has a big cap hit. They are also rumored to be in on Lance Briggs which will cost a lot more. This is nothing new. They are always over the cap and they always make room. The Hawks are too fiscally responsible to go this route, but if they really wanted to find more cap room, it could be done easily. The problem is that it prevents you from cutting people before their contract is up.



--REMEMBER FOLKS... Leave a name if you ask a question, for my own sanity.. Other than that... until next time friends!